On July 3, the Thirteenth Annual SWUFE-Baruch Joint Accounting Research Conference was successfully held in the Academic Lecture Hall, Room 720 of the Chengzheng Building on the Liulin Campus of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE). This marks the 13th annual joint accounting research conference since the establishment of the SWUFE-CUNY Joint Institute of Accounting and Management in 2009 by the School of Accounting (SOA) of SWUFE and the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. The conference was conducted both online and offline, with the theme "Finance and Accounting in the Digital Economy". It aimed to provide a platform for experts and scholars in accounting, auditing, and finance from around the world to exchange ideas and showcase cutting-edge academic achievements, deepen academic exchanges between Chinese and American scholars, promote the development of accounting theory and practice, and enhance the international influence of accounting research in China. For the first time since 2009, the conference was open to universities both domestically and internationally, attracting experts and scholars from renowned institutions such as the University of Rochester, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Central University of Finance and Economics, and Beijing Institute of Technology.
The conference was opened by Tang Xuesong, Deputy Dean of the SOA at SWUFE. He reflected on the longstanding friendly cooperation between SWUFE and Baruch College of the City University of New York, emphasizing that the collaboration has transcended geographical boundaries and achieved deep integration in academic concepts, scientific research innovation, and talent cultivation. This partnership has jointly advanced the progress and development of the financial field. He extended his heartfelt thanks and warm welcome to the experts and scholars attending from both domestic and international institutions. Professor Jun "Jonathan" Wang, Chair of Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, delivered a speech. He highly praised the cooperative relationship between the two institutions and expressed his hope for deeper collaboration and exchanges in more areas. He also extended his best wishes for the success of the conference.
The morning keynote session was hosted by Dai Jing, Director of the Modern Auditing Research Institute at SWUFE. Professors Darius Palia, Chair of the Finance & Economics Department at Rutgers University, Jun Wang, Chair of Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, and Edward Li, Area Coordinator for Ph.D. Program at Baruch College, each delivered keynote speeches. They focused on fintech, AI in financial accounting research, and corporate disclosure trends, respectively, and engaged in active exchanges and discussions with the participants.
The afternoon paper presentation session was divided into two main themes, hosted by Professor Zhu Aiyong from SWUFE and Professor Min Shen, a member of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business. Professors Min Shen, Dexin Zhou (Doctoral Supervisor at Baruch College's Graduate Center), Zhu Aiyong, Associate Professor Wang Xianjue, and Huang Chenghao from Nanchang University presented their papers. The experts discussed cutting-edge issues such as replacement costs in the audit market, information selection in mutual fund proxy voting, and whether global board reforms enhance accounting conservatism. They delved into the research motivations, contributions, study designs, and emerging technologies related to the presented papers.
In the closing remarks, Yi Yang, Deputy Dean of the SOA at SWUFE, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the guests and experts from various universities who had traveled far to attend. He hoped that both institutions would continue to leverage the platform of the conference to cultivate more research outcomes. He also emphasized the importance of further expanding and deepening their collaboration, especially in interdisciplinary research, industry-university-research integration, and international exchanges, and strengthening research cooperation and the exchange of talent and training in the "New Finance and Economics" strategic upgrade.
The successful hosting of this conference further promoted deep exchanges and cooperation between scholars from China and the United States, fostering innovation and development in financial and economic research both domestically and internationally. It also marked over a decade of friendship and mutual trust between SWUFE and Baruch College. The two institutions will continue to establish a closer, broader, and more profound long-term partnership in scientific research, academic exchanges, and talent cultivation.
